Showing posts with label Audible. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Audible. Show all posts

Thursday, 12 July 2012

Hardspear Reviews Audible Book Brasyl by Ian McDonald


Complex Cyber Punk Quantum Romp through a Multiverse Past, Present & Future Brazil. 

Have you ever eaten an exotic dish and bitten into a cardamom pod?  If you have, you’ll know that it literally explodes with mysteriously complex flavours and sexy, heady perfumes.  Reading, or listening, to Brasyl by Ian McDonald induces a much similar sense.

There are three main threads in the book, each with a distinct time- and geographical setting.  The three threads each also follow a different protagonist.  In the present (2006) we have Marcelina Hoffman, a rather shallow, Brazilian martial arts arse kicking producer of trashy reality programmes for a controversial TV Station in Rio de Janeiro.  The second protagonist, Edson Jesus Oliveira de Freitas lives in a near-futuristic (2032) Big Brother-esque Sao Paulo.  Edson goes by a few different aliases and his pursuits, monetary and otherwise, are not always strictly legal.  Despite this, Edson is a very likeable character.  Edson and some of the other characters in his part of the universe are near Anime-like in appearance and conduct – slender boyish boys and girlish girls or girlish boys and boyish girls, you know what I mean.  In 1732 the Black half-Irish Jesuit Priest Father Luis Quinn, a learned man of strong character wades through the Amazonian rivers and rain forests, his mission turning out quite differently from that which he first anticipated…

Cyberpunk, biopunk, alternate history, quantum computers, travel between multiple universes, Doppelgängers, wearable computers, mind expanding drugs are all mixed with the wonderful and strange sights, colours, sounds & smells of a bygone, contemporary and an imaginary yet to come Brazil as the three threads starts intersecting.  Myth, fact, religion, sexuality - this is modern speculative fiction at its best!

This is the first Audible Book I, J. Hardspear de la Azotea, listened to where the voice actor is British.  For us non-British English speakers from South Africa, North America, Australia & New Zealand there is a certain charm to British English.  Nigel Pilkington’s narration lends integrity to both the text and characters.  I looked up his profile on the web and found that he was born in Lancashire.  One can hear the Northern England influence in his accent, but it is not too strong and I had no difficulty following the narration.  He does however use different accents for different characters and for the different strands in the book.  (It is very quaint the way he – as Edson - drops t’s, elongates vowels and puts k’s after words ending in –ng.)  Mr. Pilkington reads Brasyl with flair and fluency, his voice matching the said sights, colours, sounds & smells of the prose word for word.

The only reason why I gave ‘Overall Experience’ 4 instead of 5, is:  I gather in the printed form of this book there is additional content which include a glossary with Brazilian Portuguese slang and other unfamiliar words & terms.  It also includes a playlist, suggested reading etc.  Audible should find a way to make this available to anyone who purchases this recording.

Tuesday, 12 June 2012

Hardspear reviews Redshirts by John Scalzi (Audible Version)

Dr. McCoy Disproven
As to the genre…  I, J. Hardspear de la Azotea don’t “get” the whole science fiction slash satire or fantasy slash satire thing.  Or usually I don’t.  I don’t “get” Douglas Adams.  I don’t “get” Terry Pratchet.  Howevurrr…  Redshirts by John Scalzi is different.  It is meta.  Maybe meta is different from satire.  As I started to listen to the Audible version of Redshirts, I thought, “Oh no.  Here we go again”.  Before long though, I became totally enmeshed in a geek get-off sort of way.  It is impossible not to if you have any affinity for Star Trek.

As to the plot…  “In this galaxy there’s a mathematical probability of three million Earth-type planets. And in the universe, three million million galaxies like this. And in all that, and perhaps more...only one of each of us”.  -Dr. McCoy, Star Trek, “Balance of Terror”.  

Well… not according to John Scalzi!  According to John Scalzi, in some weird alternative time-line there CAN be more than one of us.  Just ask Ensign Andy Dahl and his other low ranking, red-shirted compatriots. 

The Three Codas…  Towards the end, the cadence of the book changes from a fast paced and funny warp 9 to a slower, thoughtful, thrusters only velocity.  As I liked things nicely wrapped up, I would not have minded six or even more codas.

The narrative and the narration…  Wil Wheaton reads with élan and gusto and excitement.  The last coda he reads with emotion and compassion.  Many of the Audible reviews comment on the distraction of the overuse of character perspective indication.  It’s complicated… How do I explain.  In the narration there are conversations between characters where the sentences are short and all of them end in “he said, she said” or “Dahl said, Duval said.  This is especially rampant at the start of the book, but grows less.  I have not seen the complaint in reviews of people who read the book as opposed to listened to it.  Maybe the book is written to read like the script of a TV episode, I don’t know.  I just thought it added to the book’s overall quirkiness.

As to quality, yes it is worth to use your monthly free credit.  As to length, it was a bit short.  I usually try to get more minutes for my money.  (Remember, my monthly Audible subscription costs 130 South African Rands)

Wednesday, 6 June 2012

Hardspear Reviews the Audible version of Reamde by Neal Stephenson

Listen to Me, Read Me, Reamde.

On the topic of fiction novels where a large part of a book is set within a computer game, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline and Reamde by Neal Stephenson come to mind readily.  As opposed to the (near) futuristic dystopia in which Ready Player One is set, the backdrop to Reamde is a very realistic present. The lion’s share of Ready Player One takes place within the virtual reality of a computer quest-like game.  In Reamde, the percentage of the story that takes place within the World-of-Warcraft-like game called T’Rain is significantly smaller.  From here the differences between the two books just grows wider.  In the end, it is greatly unfair to even try to compare the two books.

It is difficult for me, J. Hardspear de la Azotea to pen down just how much I enjoyed the Audible audiobook version of Reamde.  It may just be the most entertaining and gratifying Techno-Thriller I have ever read/listened to.  As this is the first book by Mr. Stephenson I have had the pleasure to consume, I can only really comment on this book as it is, having no reference in terms of his other books.

Despite being classified as a Techno-Thriller, the narration is unbelievably funny at times.  There is one scene involving the Fantasy writers of the background to T’Rain referred to the ‘Apostropocalypse’ which had me crying with laughter.

The book is also about girl-power.  Zula Forthrast is one of the most quick-witted protagonists one can hope to encounter in a book.  The supporting characters of Olivia Halifax-Lin and Xian Yuxia positively delights.

The male characters, more specifically the “good guys” (sometimes the lines between good guys & bad guys gets a bit blurry, especially in the case of Solokov) are easy to relate to, with all their heroism and all of their fallibilities.

The book is long, VERY detailed and yet very fast-paced.  I listened to it on the plane, in the car, in bed before I go to sleep, first thing when I woke up, whilst I washed dishes etc, etc.

The matter of fact tone of the narration by Malcolm Hillgartner suits the story fantastically.  His accents runs from good (British) to bad (Scottish) but it is much better than I can do and still gets 100% for effort.

Wednesday, 29 February 2012

Audible & Sony are enemies

So, I J. Hardspear de la Azotea, who have been told various things about ADD, have been given a Sony Walkman MP3 player by my wife Lamb, so that I can listen to my Audible audiobooks.  Much as I love my Kindle, it is a bit large to use a MP3.  Imagine running on the treadmill in the gym with a Kindle strapped to your waist!
Breathless with anticipation, I opened the Audible download manager on my PC.  With a shaking finger I clicked on ‘add new device’.  WTF????  No Sony devices are listed.
Now Audible SAY that you can download in MP3 format, but in fact it is actually their propriety .aa extension format. 
I jumped onto the web and found that I was not the only fool who were cheated by Audible and Sony.
I just want to tell Audible and Sony…  I SHALL find a way to listen to my Audible books on my Sony Walkman.  I have already downloaded 3 different DRM (Digital Rights Management) software removal tools.
I have a good mind and put Cory Doctorow onto the both of you!!!
(You do not need to read the rest of this, below just a little drivel to create some esss eeeeeee ooooohhh for this post.)
I unequivocally can't let Audible & Sony's misinformation and misguided arguments about nativism go by without comment. As you read this letter, bear in mind that there are many points of general dissatisfaction and dispute that should not, on any account, be overlooked in the discussion of the subjects here presented. One of these is that if we fail to pursue virtue and knowledge then all of our sacrifices will be as forgotten as the sand blowing across Ozymandias's dead empire. The "decay of that colossal wreck," as the poet Shelley puts it, teach us that Audible & Sony maintains that you and I are morally inferior to shabby nebbishes. While that happens to be pure fantasy from the world of make-believe, one important fact to consider is that you don't need to be a rocket scientist to detect the subtext of this letter. But just in case it's too subliminal for some, let me thrust it into your face right here: If it can't cite the basis for its claim that the best way to serve one's country is to turn over our country to tetchy, untoward euphuists then it should just shut up about it.
Audible & Sony has gotten a bit too palsy-walsy with inane gits. Surprised? You shouldn't be, because it's easy for armchair philosophers to theorize about Audible & Sony and about hypothetical solutions to our Audible & Sony problem. It's an entirely more difficult matter, however, when one considers that it insists that the peak of fashion is to waste everyone else's time. Sorry, Audible & Sony, but, with apologies to Gershwin, "it ain't necessarily so." Let me give you some important advice: Don't let Audible & Sony define you. Instead, show it that you're in control by searching for solutions that are more creative and constructive than the typically infelicific ones championed by mentally deficient gutter-dwellers. I contend that even the most unassertive milquetoast should be able to do something like that. At a minimum, you should remember that if we're to effectively carry out our responsibilities and make a future for ourselves, we will first have to challenge Audible & Sony to defend its commentaries or else to change them.
The essential point, however, is the following: I strive to be consistent in my arguments. I can't say that I'm 100% true to this, but Audible & Sony's frequent vacillating leads me to believe that if we are powerless to hammer out solutions on the anvil of discourse, it is because we have allowed Audible & Sony to leave behind a wake of heinous reaction. Audible & Sony has somehow managed to get the media to pay rapt attention to its daffy fairy tales. I don't know what sort of Jedi mind control it's been using to pull that off, but I do know that we must eschew bad-tempered warlordism if we are ever to rub its nose in its own hypocrisy. Yes, this is a bold, audacious, even unprecedented undertaking. Yes, it lacks any realistic guarantee of success. However, it is an undertaking that we must sincerely pursue because every so often, Audible & Sony tries giving me reason to dig my own grave and pay for the shovel. Whenever it gets caught doing so it raises a terrific hullabaloo calculated to wage an odd sort of warfare upon a largely unprepared and unrecognizing public.
In this volatile political moment, we must cautiously guard against the dangers of dour antidisestablishmentarianism. That's just a fancy way of saying that I don't know which are worse, right-wing tyrants or left-wing tyrants. But I do know that if you hear Audible & Sony spouting off about how it answers to no one, you should tell it that its ethics will have consequences, intended and otherwise. Better yet, tell it to stop getting its opinions from inattentive smut peddlers and start doing some research of its own.
If history follows its course, it should be evident that there's an important difference between me and Audible & Sony. Namely, I am willing to die for my cause. Audible & Sony, in contrast, is willing to kill for its—or, if not to kill, at least to toy with our opinions. To overthrow western civilization through the destruction of its four pillars—family, nation, religion, and democracy—is Audible & Sony's objective, and furacious Bulverism is its method. I frequently talk about how Audible & Sony fears nothing more than the exposure of its motives and activities. I would drop the subject except that it claims to have turned over a new leaf shortly after getting caught trying to defile the present and destroy the future. This claim is an outright lie that is still being circulated by Audible & Sony's pals. The truth is that Audible & Sony has been known to say that mediocrity is a worthwhile goal. That notion is so nefarious, I hardly know where to begin refuting it.
Audible & Sony is never without a sex-crazed thing to say, but that's a story for another time. For now, I want to focus on the way that its protests are rife with contradictions and difficulties; they're completely quasi-egocentric, meet no objective criteria, and are unsuited for a supposedly educated population. And as if that weren't enough, I defy the abysmal ragamuffins who practice human sacrifice on a grand scale in some sort of deceitful death cult, and I defy the powers of darkness that they represent.
You know what we'd have if everybody wanted to sound the standard "they're out to get us" call and rally Audible & Sony's minions to make bribery legal and part of business as usual? Total chaos. Presentism, imperialism, and factionalism follow Audible & Sony's footsteps. Wherever it goes, such things are sure to sprout up. The implication is that Audible & Sony's views raise a number of brow-furrowing questions. I'm referring to questions such as, "What happened to Audible & Sony's common sense?" It's questions like that that get people thinking about how if Audible & Sony gets its way, I might very well abandon all hope.
If one believes statements like, "Audible & Sony would never dream of inciting racial hatred," one is, in effect, supporting impetuous jerks. Rather than respond to my letters with reasoned arguments, Audible & Sony prefers to inject even more fear and divisiveness into political campaigns. Although this method of attack is unparalleled in any other sphere of literary controversy it does prove that Audible & Sony wants its cowardice and irresponsibility to be regarded as prudence, so to speak. There's a lot of talk nowadays about Audible & Sony's inconsiderate squibs but not much action.
Audible & Sony is known for fabricating evidence. Need I say more? I don't think so, but this I will say: Audible & Sony's behavior might be different if it were told that it is unable to separate fact from fiction. Of course, as far as Audible & Sony is concerned, this fact will fall into the category of, "My mind is made up; don't confuse me with the facts." That's why I'm telling you that it has repeatedly been spotted getting on my nerves. When questioned about that, it either denies any knowledge of it or offers unbelievable and ludicrous explanations that only a mudslinging Zendik could believe.
Isn't it interesting which questions Audible & Sony dodges and what tangents it goes off on? Those dodges and tangents make me think that if Audible & Sony continues to carry our once-proud nation deeper into savagery and depravity, I will be obliged to do something about it. And you know me: I never neglect my obligations. Audible & Sony is the secret player behind the present, stuck-up political scene. It must be brought out from behind the curtain before it's too late, before its spin doctors damage the self-esteem and physical health of millions of young men and women. I once pointed out to Audible & Sony that I sometimes have to bite my tongue pretty hard to avoid saying what I really feel about it. All I could garner from its ensuing mussitation was some nonsense about how honor counts for nothing. It's this sort of mindless response that leads me to believe that you might say, "These issues are actually political issues." Fine, I agree. But the last time I heard Audible & Sony ramble on in its characteristically bibulous blather it said something about wanting to eroticize relations of dominance and subordination. I feel sorry for the human race when I hear stuff like that. To close, let me accentuate that if we tear down Audible & Sony's fortress of anti-intellectualism we shall not only survive Audible & Sony's attacks; we shall prevail.
Respectfully Submitted by J. Hardspear de la Azotea.

Wednesday, 1 February 2012

Hardspear reviews Audible book Hyperion by Dan Simmons

“Prologue.  The Hegemony Consul sat on the balcony of his ebony spaceship and played Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C-sharp Minor on an ancient but well-maintained Steinway while great, green, saurian things surged and bellowed in the swamps below." 

In print the opening sentence of Dan Simmons’ novel Hyperion packs a potent punch.  Listening to the same sentence in the audiobook version by Audible, the same strong oomph is lent by the prose, yet now new dimensions are added.  Instantly there is a haunting quality to the very first words which is downright exhilarating.

I listened to the first few evocative paragraphs of the book five times in awe before I was able to wrench my thumb away from the rewind button.  It is not merely narrators that read this book, it is truly voice artists.  The bass/baritone voices of the male narrators and the contralto of the female narrator is like fine quality paint brushes.  They use inflection, pitch, pause, falsetto, strength, whisper and timbre to paint and colour the picture of the story so masterfully written by Dan Simmons.  I travel a lot and usually listen to my books using the text-to-speech function on my Amazon Kindle.  I have grown quite accustomed to the monotone computer generated voice on the Kindle and perhaps that is the reason why I was blown away by the quality of this audio book…

As to actual the story…  I have read all four books of the Hyperion Cantos before.  I have always wanted to re-read it.  When Honey Bee was in hospital, I opened an account with Audible so that I can download her some audio books.  As I browsed the site, I came across the Audible Fronteers audio version of the book.


Dan Simmons tells a Chaucer-esque story of seven pilgrims making their way to the strange planet Hyperion.  Unexplained forces surround their final destination, the time tombs, which makes it impossible for space- and aircraft to land close by.  So begins the long trek of the seven pilgrims to the mysterious time tombs.

By not quite mutual agreement the pilgrims decide to tell their stories as they travel.  I was disappointed at the end of each story, wanting to know more, but soon became engrossed in the next tale.  As each pilgrim tells their story, the background of the Hyperion universe unfolds and one learns the chronicle of how Old Earth was destroyed and how humans fleeing in seed ships colonized the galaxy. 

I am not going to pen down any plot spoilers here, but if you are into Sci-Fi (with a little fantasy mixed in) get the book, it is mind blowing to say the least.


…or you can wait for the Warner Bros movie.  And guess what…  Bradley Cooper was integrally involved in writing the script for the movie.  Seems there is more to him than a brilliant smile.  (do you know how hard it is to get a picture of an unsmiling Bradley Cooper…?)  I must say.  I would have liked him to be IN the movie.  I can picture him as one of the pilgrims, a priest called Lenar Hoyt.


So this is the first time that I, J. Hardspear de la Azotea, who celebrates having ADD, have written a book review.  Since Audible will only allow me to put reviews under my real name, I won’t review on their site, but on my blog instead…

The unabridged audio book, Hyperion by Dan Simmons is available from Audible.com and narrated by Victor Bevine,  Marc Vietor, Allyson Johnson, Kevin Parisea and, Jay Snyder.